4/5/22

I've read many reviews of Chinese Puzzle that point to it as the ideal place for a new reader to begin the series, and I can definitely see the validity in these statements. Chinese Puzzle is the third book in the Destroyer series, and it is in this book that the formula fans of the series are used to finally began to jell.

In Chinese Puzzle, Remo and Chiun are recruited by the president to accompany the wife of a Chinese general searching for her husband, whose disappearance on American soil threatens to sabotage upcoming peace talks.

The second chapter of the book clearly states that the events within take place almost exactly one year from the events of Death Check, which places the action firmly within the year of publishing, 1972. The president in this case - unnamed, of course - is still obviously Nixon, and the plot of Chinese Puzzle is a clear reference to Nixon's historic visit to China in 1972. The authors treat Nixon very reverentially, spending plenty of time underlining how sincere his concern for world peace is. There are also a couple of scenes with his "most trusted adviser," who I assume is Kissinger based solely on not being able to identify any other Nixon advisers with "curly locks."

The plot isn't more complicated than the first two books in the series, but its interweaving with the precarious nature of CURE, Sinanju mythology, and the relationship between Remo and Chiun is much smoother feels a bit more organic.

HIS NAME WAS REMO: "His name was Remo." Still haven't nailed this one down yet. But they're getting close.

THE BAD GUY: COMMIES! More specifically, Chinese communists attempting to thwart the current Premier's attempts at peace talks with the U.S. Revealing the specifics might be too much of a spoiler alert, so COMMIES is all you get.

REMO & CURE: A lot of time is spent with Smith, with greater detail given to how CURE operates, and more importantly, how it will be dissolved if it becomes compromised, including Smith's suicide and Remo's termination ate the hands of Chiun. Smith also spends a little time with Remo and gets to - sort of - see him in action.

REMO & CHIUN: This is how Destroyer fans are used to Remo and Chiun interacting. Remo respects Chiun, calls him Little Father, and is protective of him. They work the case together, with Chiun alternating between sage wisdom and childish, impulsive behavior. Both the humor and the chemistry is on full display. In this installment, Chiun takes up yiddish phrases he learned from an old lady at a diner, and Remo confronts Chiun about his arrangement with CURE to kill Remo if ever instructed by Smith. Also interesting is how the plot includes a tie-in to Sinanju history, and the inclusion of an assassination attempt on Remo by a sniper who was once briefly trained by Sinanju villagers.

REMO’S LADIES: Remo only beds one woman this time, the General's wife. However, he does so only to try and keep control of her, and doesn't enjoy it. Another in a long line of sleeping with the enemy moments.

BODY COUNT: With this review I'm instituting the rule that the only bodies I'm counting are those belonging to Remo. He is, after all, the Destroyer. Even with this new restriction, the body count comes in at 18. Counting Chiun kills would take that total closer to 25. ( )

Remo! You did it! Pretty solid entry. I think I liked it more than the second book ( )

I like this one the best out of the series, probably because it was the first one I read. ( )

The third of the Destroyer action/men's adventure series and the one I had been told to start the series with. I'd say that was a good recommendation, as the first two novels don't add terribly much other than how Remo Williams was recruited by CURE, the ultra-secret government agency created to act extra-constitutionally.

Remo is sent into the field with Chiun, his aged Korean martial arts instructor, to discover the whereabouts of a Chinese General Liu, who has disappeared in New York City. The peace talks between the US and the PRC rest on his safe recovery -- remember, this one was written in 1972. The cameos by Nixon and Kissinger are lots of fun. The interplay between Remo and Chiun is great, and Chiun's interaction with various minor characters is outrageously funny. In many ways, Chiun steals every scene he's in.

One of the fascinating (and effective) techniques that Murphy and Sapir use is to periodically offer a short chapter from the perspective of a minor villain who will later cross paths with Remo and Chiun. It adds a lot of richness to the characterization that might otherwise be lacking in what is, in essence, an action-adventure novel.

Is it politically correct? No, not by any means -- Chiun hates the Chinese with a passion and lets them know this at every opportunity, for example -- but frankly, that's part of the fun.

Review copyright 2008 J. Andrew Byers ( )